EDUCATION: Vittori graduated from the Italian Airforce Academy in 1989. Between 1989 and 1990 he completed his basic training with the U.S. Air Force at Reese A.F.B., TX, USA. On 15 December 1995 he graduated from the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School, and was recognized with the "Honor Student Award" for class 108. Between 1996 and 1997 he attended the Accident Prevention course (Guidonia A.F.B., Italy) and Accident Investigation course (Kirtland A.F.B., NM, USA).

FAMILY: Married, two children.

RECREATIONAL INTERESTS: Jogging, playing soccer, reading.

EXPERIENCE: With the Italian Air Force, he acquired from 1991 to 1994 an operational background flying Tornado GR1, qualified for day/night air-to-air refueling as well as formation leader.

In 1995, he was employed in the Euro Fighter 2000 programme, as project pilot for the Test Centre of the Italian Air Force and in 1996, he worked in the Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) Project for the development of a new missile to be used with the EF2000.

In parallel he was teaching aerodynamics in the Italian Air Force's Accident Investigation course.

Vittori has logged 1500 flying hours on over 40 different types of aircrafts. His flying experience also includes gliders and helicopters.

Selected by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), in cooperation with ESA, Roberto Vittori joined the European Astronaut Corps and entered the Mission Specialist Class at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, USA, in August 1998.

Roberto Vittori is one of a number of astronauts from European national space programmes who were being integrated into ESA's single European astronaut corps. ESA astronauts would be involved in the assembly and on-board operations of the International Space Station, a multinational programme that was to place a permanently inhabited facility in Earth orbit.

NASA Group 17 - 1998 Requirement: pilot, engineer, and scientist astronauts for space shuttle flights. Nickname: The Penguins. Originally called the Dodos by the Sardines, after an extinct flightless bird; they renamed themselves after a flightless bird that eats fish... More...

ISS Finally completed in 2010 after a torturous 25-year development and production process, the International Space Station was originally conceived as the staging post for manned exploration of the solar systrem. Instead, it was seemed to be the death knell of manned spaceflight. More...

ISS Status Report: ISS 02-19 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Bursch; Gidzenko; Onufrienko; Shuttleworth; Vittori; Walz. Program: ISS. Flight: ISS EO-4; STS-110. Summary: The resident crew aboard the International Space Station took a short ride in their Russian Soyuz capsule this morning, relocating the rescue craft from one docking port to another to clear the way for the arrival of a fresh return vehicle in one week.. Additional Details: here....

Landing of Soyuz TM-33 - .
Return Crew: Gidzenko; Vittori; Shuttleworth. Nation: Russia. Related Persons: Gidzenko; Vittori; Shuttleworth. Program: ISS. Flight: ISS EP-3. On May 5, 2002, after a week aboard the station, the visting Soyuz TM-34 crew of Gidzenko, Vittori and Shuttleworth moved to the old Soyuz TM-33, docked at the Pirs port. They undocked at 0031:08 UTC on May 5, leaving the EO-4 crew of Onufrienko, Walz and Bursch with the new Soyuz TM-34 as their rescue vehicle. Soyuz TM-33 made its deorbit burn at 0257 UTC and landed successfully at 0352 UTC 25 km SE of Arkalyk.

International Space Station Status Report #05-17 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Chiao; Sharipov; Krikalyov; Phillips; Vittori. Program: ISS. Flight: ISS EO-10; ISS EO-11; ISS EP-8; STS-114. Summary: Following their second spacewalk and nearing the end of a six-month flight, Expedition 10 crew members conducted science experiments, prepared for the arrival of their replacements and readied the Station for the first post-Columbia Shuttle mission.. Additional Details: here....

2005 April 8 - .

International Space Station Status Report #05-18 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Chiao; Sharipov; Krikalyov; Phillips; Vittori. Program: ISS. Flight: ISS EO-10; ISS EO-11; ISS EP-8. Summary: The current International Space Station crew began packing for home this week while the next Station crew completed a final review of plans before heading to the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, to prepare for launch.. Additional Details: here....

International Space Station Status Report #05-23 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Chiao; Sharipov; Krikalyov; Phillips; Vittori. Program: ISS. Flight: ISS EO-10; ISS EO-11; ISS EP-8; STS-114. Summary: The new crew members of the International Space Station completed their first full work week today as they conducted routine maintenance, continued to settle in and practiced photography to be used when the Space Shuttle returns to flight.. Additional Details: here....